Steve'sDigicams

Plankton · Aug 10, 2006, 5:34 AM

Hello, I've been browsing here a lot recently as I'm going to be upgrading to an SLR camera at some point in the forseeable future.

I'm thinking I'll get the Nikon D50, but possibly something else that's comparable.

Anyway, I'm now thinking about what kind of lense(s) I will get whenever I do buy a new camera. At the moment I'm using a Canon Ixus 40, and I know I'd like to get something with more zoom/range. I also like the macro stuff.

So, let's pretend I do get a D50, with say, the kit lens, and also the 55-200mm lens they do for it to give me the range I want to play with. How do I know about macro stuff? Will either of these lenses do macro?

Would I have to instead buy a macro lense, in which case, would that lense only be suitable for close up macro shots?

I dont know how you tell this kind of thing (at first I thought the lower the mm (18-55, 28-whatever etc etc would be it, but that's not correct is it?)

Thank you, any help is much appreciated.

Plankton · Aug 10, 2006, 7:12 AM

Just one more thing while talking about looking for lenses. I get a bit confused when they give an aperture thing, such as "18-50mm F3,5-5,6". Does a larger or smaller number signify that the lense would be better or more flexible etc?

thebac · Aug 10, 2006, 9:58 AM

For macro photography, a macro lens is highly recommended. If you're on a budget, I would suggest you take a look at the Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 macro (it's also branded as a Phoenix or Promaster lens). It goes to 1:2 natively, and 1:1 with the included adapter, and sells for rather little (around $100-$150 new). Build quality is atrocious, and it focus-hunts, but it's quite sharp and can also be used for portraits. Action shots aren't very good with it due to the slow AF. I posted some samples in the close-up gallery of this forum where I used a D70 with this lens.

The only way you can tell is if the description tells you the closest focusing distance or maximum magnification--you cannot tell from the focal lengths.

Larger apertures (smaller F numbers) give you a more flexible lens for DoF and low-light. They also tend to be more expensive and are heavier.

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Aug 10, 2006, 5:34 AM	#1
Plankton Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 31	Hello, I've been browsing here a lot recently as I'm going to be upgrading to an SLR camera at some point in the forseeable future. I'm thinking I'll get the Nikon D50, but possibly something else that's comparable. Anyway, I'm now thinking about what kind of lense(s) I will get whenever I do buy a new camera. At the moment I'm using a Canon Ixus 40, and I know I'd like to get something with more zoom/range. I also like the macro stuff. So, let's pretend I do get a D50, with say, the kit lens, and also the 55-200mm lens they do for it to give me the range I want to play with. How do I know about macro stuff? Will either of these lenses do macro? Would I have to instead buy a macro lense, in which case, would that lense only be suitable for close up macro shots? I dont know how you tell this kind of thing (at first I thought the lower the mm (18-55, 28-whatever etc etc would be it, but that's not correct is it?) Thank you, any help is much appreciated.

Aug 10, 2006, 7:12 AM	#2
Plankton Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 31	Just one more thing while talking about looking for lenses. I get a bit confused when they give an aperture thing, such as "18-50mm F3,5-5,6". Does a larger or smaller number signify that the lense would be better or more flexible etc?

Aug 10, 2006, 9:58 AM	#3
thebac Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 314	For macro photography, a macro lens is highly recommended. If you're on a budget, I would suggest you take a look at the Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 macro (it's also branded as a Phoenix or Promaster lens). It goes to 1:2 natively, and 1:1 with the included adapter, and sells for rather little (around $100-$150 new). Build quality is atrocious, and it focus-hunts, but it's quite sharp and can also be used for portraits. Action shots aren't very good with it due to the slow AF. I posted some samples in the close-up gallery of this forum where I used a D70 with this lens. The only way you can tell is if the description tells you the closest focusing distance or maximum magnification--you cannot tell from the focal lengths. Larger apertures (smaller F numbers) give you a more flexible lens for DoF and low-light. They also tend to be more expensive and are heavier.